Mapiko 2011

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Mapiko started the 2011 construction process by making a prototype of the Stof Mama puppet in a three week session in March leading up to the AfrikaBurn festival, held every year in the Tankwa Karoo National Park. Six members of mapiko went to the festival along with two drummers from the Ocean View music project in support plus a Donkey puppet and a Bull puppet from the 2010 eMzantsi parade, funded by AfrikaBurn.

In June, the entire mapiko crew was taken to the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town
for a performance of Ouroboros written by Standard Bank Young Artist award winner Janni Younge,
Associate Director at Handspring Puppet Company and longtime eMzantsi collaborator.

The main construction period took place from May-June, 6 weeks earlier than last year, to allow Mapiko members work experience opportunities at Grahamstown in July and at the Gauteng Carnival in August. At the beginning of May, Junknew held a workshop with all Mapiko crew workers and trainees. The huge success and development of the crew over the last 2 years, means that there are now so many on the Mapiko team that a decision was taken to split into different working groups. Each group had to budget for materials and wages themselves and organise their own administration, accountability, time management and skills exchange as they were mentoring new recruits as well.

Some of mapiko crew working in August

Prosper and BOS Baby in initial phases, Sidney doing finishing touches

Princess Mamlambo detail and the Ilitha Lomso women’s team

Her mermaid’s tail		Emmanuel and Father Time under construction

Shaun models Solar’s shoe, Trigga doing glitter detail, Shaam and Trigga attach belt

Jean demonstrates the inner workings, Natural Fire workspace at OV Catholic Church, Mo’Fire team

Following the success of Harlequin’s year long partnership with KEAG from May 2010, Junkanew organized for Emmanuel Kamungoma and Adin ‘Trigga’ Adams from Mapiko to spend four weekends at puppetry workshops hosted by the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA) called Proactive. Emmanuel and Trigga joined with other members of mapiko to create a puppet show for a UNIMA showcase in April. The show was a hit and they were asked to perform at the ‘Out The Box’ international puppetry festival in September 2011.

Emmanuel, left and Trigga, right, in puppet show performance ÔFunny Ocean at Imhoff Farm in April

In July, Yandiswa Mazwana, Eva Adams-Hart, Emmanuel Kamungoma and Adin ‘Trigga’ Adams went to Grahamstown for the National Arts Festival at the invitation of environmental activist Chris Fisher. They conducted mapiko workshops with children as part of the Sustainability Commons at Rhodes University by day, and created recycled art with students at the Soundkiln music installation by night. It was a useful introduction to the festival and allowed them to make practical plans for outreach at the festival next year.

In August, in partnership with the Cape Town Carnival, four mapiko members (Yandiswa Mazwana, Emmanuel Kamungoma, Sidney Ryan and Jean America) were sent for 10 days intensive work experience at the Gauteng Carnival, which took place at the beginning of Sept. We were thrilled at the future potential for a growing training exchange with both Gauteng and Cape Town Carnivals.

In August, Mapiko were invited to partner with Jungle Theatre Company in a mentorship with Handspring Puppet Co as part of their Iqonga platform at the Out The Box Festival. Four mapiko members (Yandiswa Mazwana, Emmanuel Kamungoma, Lisa von Brandis and Prosper Tafa) worked on the creation process for Stof Mama and two more (Steven America and Leeshaam Stringer) rehearsed for the final performance with Jungle.

The second construction period began in October after senior mapiko crew returned from working at the Gauteng Carnival in August-Sept. This period was spent together in the workshop at Living Way making costumes and accessories for carnival participants who would accompany the giant puppets made in the first period.

Natural Fire and Solar	Iltha Lomso and Princess Mamlambo

Paradox and Father Time	Projekt Ubuntu and BOS Baby

Giant puppets Father Time and Princess Mamlambo await their accessories
Headdresses and backpacks for Solar’s Sun Warriors and Solar Angels

Simon and his team putting the ‘Big Wheels’ climate change clock together
French volunteer Natalie decorating Stof Mama, the Mother Earth puppet to be Queen of the parade

with Emmanuel, Jean and Steven working on her chariot – the petals of the globe open to reveal her

Finished schools costumes bagged and hanging ready, Yandiswa and Sipheleke paint Mamlambo’s hair

Lee-shaam and Fikelwa making last adjustments to Mamlambo, Esther from Switzerland helping Meocka
Sun warrior and solar angel backpack costumes ready for high schools, BOSBaby has new earmuffs

Father Time showing his technology side and his green side, while Solar is repaired and ready to shine

Meocka busy gluing, Eva recycling plastics, banners and flags painted by Wesley Waries

Nonthembeko and the solar bike pennants, Chip Snaddon brings his recycled Rhino to join the parade

Public Costume Making

In 2011, eMzantsi hosted youth groups to come together to make costumes and accessories on Saturdays through November:

• eMzantsi high school Jumpstart programme participants and iKamva Youth members came together to make their sun warrior and solar angels costumes to accompany their energy champion Solar.
• Local adoptive mothers and the Young Mothers Group from Catholic Welfare and Development took part in a Stof Mama workshop.
• Our intercultural dance group from TAMI had a Green Goddess workshop to make their costumes to lead climate change champion Father Time’s contingent in the parade.

Adoptive mothers and their children joined Young Mothers from CWD to learn costume-making
under the guidance of the Mapiko crew: Justin, Sidney, Lisa and Yandiswa

the Stof Mama mothers group	Green Goddesses

dancers from TAMI got busy while
dancer Carey Yarrow & Uncle Ndzi from Restoration Choir met to discuss their parade collaboration

Choreographer Teva Scarborough and the TAMI dancers show off their accessories

 Mural

In 2011, as per our promise to the south peninsula municipality sub-council, the eMzantsi mural was given a fresh new look with the addition of green motifs in line with the ‘eMzantsi Goes BOS’ theme. In keeping with eMzantsi principles of skils development, this year artist Kuda Gavi mentored Wesley Warries from Ocean View.

Local indigenous flora and various green features were added to the mural originally painted in 2009

Wesley Waries trained with Kuda Gavi this year